Adventure: Reigning in the Rain Forest
Quest: Fearless Floating
Engineering Concept: Buoyancy and Density
Challenge Level: Difficult
What is the problem?
Flynn is still lost in the Brazilian rainforest and needs to find her way back to her parents, who travel the world as environmental engineers. She has found food and created a shelter since she has been in the rainforest, but now it’s time to find safety with her parents, who are in a town just down the river. She needs to create a device that can hold her weight and has raised sides so the piranhas and bull sharks can’t get inside her device.
How will the students help?
In the first segment, Flynn will ask the participants to creatively solve the problem by planning out how they will use the household materials required to build a solution. Students are encouraged to build a prototype in this segment.
In the second segment, students will research buoyancy and density to understand how they relate to the problem Flynn is facing. They will be asked to answer open-ended research questions using research links provided by Growin’GEERS and additional research they do on their own.
In the third segment, students will rebuild their initial design based on what they learned in the second segment. They will be asked to create a new plan for how they will use their materials. Once their solution is complete, there will be a Test for Success to see if their solution passes.
What will the participants learn?
Buoyancy
Density
How marine engineers apply those concepts
What marine engineers do
Brazilian culture
Brazilian quick facts
Why teamwork is important
Why it is okay to fail
What do I need to complete the quest?
Access to a computer to watch the videos and research the concepts
Ability to print the GEERling worksheets for students to plan their design and answer the research questions
Household materials needed to complete the hands-on component
Want to get started?
Get access to every Growin’GEERS quest and let the engineering adventure begin!